An urban farm that grows vegetables for the community says it has been ransacked twice, with “crate loads” of beetroot, corn, celery and garden appliances stolen.
Break-ins on February 20 and March 9 have inflicted $2500 worth of losses on the Organic Market Garden (OMG) in Eden Terrace, Auckland.
Farm manager Levi Brinsdon-Hall says he feels “violated” but is amazed by the outpouring of support from locals. “The garden is a place of refuge and safety for lots of people. I’ve never had any anger, violence or any negative energy in that place before,” the 28-year-old said.
The first break-in occurred while Brinsdon-Hall was away on holiday. Spades, gloves and other gardening gear, along with $500 in cash, was stolen.
The farm was targeted again three weeks later, with $2000 worth of gardening gear snatched, according to Brinsdon-Hall.
But it was the theft of “crate loads” of vegetables that he found “gutting and disheartening”. “Stuff is stuff, and we can always get the money back, but the vegetables are grown for the local community,” he said. “It’s not my food – it’s grown for the people that support us, and with so much love.”
Read the complete article at www.stuff.co.nz.